


Closed Door, Open Window

by PorcelainPoppet



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, Multi, Possible Character Death, Possibly Unrequited Love, Slow Build, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:08:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelainPoppet/pseuds/PorcelainPoppet
Summary: Sarah (Saddie) Wilson inherited the farm from her grandfather and finally took the plunge to move out to it. She soon finds that looking after the land is harder than she thought and the towns people are as friendly as Robin made them out to be, well most of them are. Barely a week into her big move and she runs into a man that seems to have more skeletons in his closet than she thought possible for any one person to have.
Relationships: Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Harvey/Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just starting this, I am not entirely sure where it's going to go or whether it will be happy or sad or somewhere in between. I suppose we will have to find out together. I'll edit the tags and description as I write more of this story. Let me know if you have any input or ideas, I'm always happy to chat about my writing with people. 
> 
> So far I have no warnings for this story, but I will be posting at the beginning of each chapter whether that changes or not.

_If you wake up every morning dreading going into work, than maybe you are doing the wrong job._ My grandfather said that to me once, when I was trying to figure out what my direction was going to be after high school. I remember going to visit him at the farm with my parents, sitting with him on the porch of his little farm house as we sipped on home made lemonade and munched on cheese and crackers. I loved that farm, I had always looked forward to going there for visits to see him and the animals. It was a highlight of my childhood.

That day I was 18 and had just graduated and I was sitting with him while my folks were tending to the animals. He had always been a man of few words, never seemed to have much to say, but when he did... it was usually something worth listening to.

_The summer sun was high and hot and a soft breeze whispered against my skin, carrying with it the scents of summer. The fruit growing in the fields and the smell of freshly watered crops. I had asked him what he thought I should do and he had hummed for a bit, eating another slice of cheese as he leaned back in his rocking chair and closed his eyes. Then he’d said it, “doing a job you hate, it’s not worth it. You have to do what you love. You’re going to have to work, every day of your life. So why not make it something you want to do?” he looked over at me then, a smile on his lips._

__

__

“How will I know what I want to do though?” I asked, my cool lemonade grasped in my hands, the sweating glass trickling onto my thighs and cooling my skin before the sun dried them all to quickly. 

_“Well... you might not know right away. It might take you time to figure that out. Took me time. Lots of time, but eventually I figured it out and I started this farm. I met your grandmother and my whole world changed. Nothing happens over night and you might go through a lot of trial and error before you find the thing that makes you excited to start your day.” He winked over at me with that and sipped at his own glass before setting it aside and getting up. “You’ll figure it out, your a smart kid.”_

That was the last time I had seen him, my parents got busy with their jobs in the city and I ended up going to university for graphic design. I thought, hey it’s art in a way and I love art, but it’s art I can make money at. So why not? Maybe it was a bit of a compromise on what I loved, but I still didn’t really know what that was and it wasn’t like you could make a lot of money on art unless you were really talented.

It wasn’t long after I graduated that my grandfather fell ill, he was sent to a hospital in the city and it wasn’t long after that that he passed away. I was so busy with my new career, I didn’t make it to see him one last time, but he left me with a sealed envelope and a message not to open it till the day I had hit my own personal rock bottom and I needed to make a change in my life. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I tucked the envelope away in my wallet and didn’t give it another thought for a couple of years. 

It wasn’t till I was sitting in my grey cubical, staring at yet another bland poster design for Joja cola and listening to the mindless click clacking of other office drones on their computers that I realised, this was my bottom. 

I wasn’t going anywhere in my career, I woke up every morning having to force myself out of bed. I didn’t love my work, I didn’t even barely tolerate it, it was a pay cheque, that was it. It paid my rent and kept my fridge barely stocked with food. I had just gotten out of a long term relationship and I spent my nights nursing my pain with beer or cider. 

So as I sat there staring blankly at my computer monitor I decided that was the time to finally see what was inside that envelope. 

\---

Sarah had just gotten off the bus with her single suitcase and a wrinkled brown envelope in her hands when someone came jogging out of the forest towards her. A middle aged woman with bright red hair tied back in a pony tail she raised a hand in greeting as she got close and paused for a moment to catch her breath. 

“You must be Ms. Wilson!” She beamed after she had taken a couple deep breaths, “I’m sorry I was running a bit late.” She laughed at that as if there some obvious joke there. Sarah completely missed it though as she looked the woman over, offering her a small smile in return as she set her suitcase down.

“You can just call me Sarah, you’re Robin then? Lewis told me you were going to meet me here, I just got off the bus, so no worries. You’re not late at all.” Sarah tried to placate her as she fumbled the envelope into one hand so she could offer her other one for a handshake. The woman, Robin, took it and gave it a firm shake. 

“Yup, that’s me Robin Carpenter, I’m the contractor.” She said, grinning widely as she dropped Sarah’s hand. 

“Well let’s get you to the farm house so you can get settled in, Lewis had me doing some minor fixes around the place to make it livable for you.” She moved to grab Sarah’s suitcase and started hauling it down the dirt path into the tree line. 

The walk wasn’t to far from the bus stop, Sarah couldn’t recall ever walking out this way, her folks had always driven into the property. They had offered to drive her out here and help her move in but she had insisted that she didn’t them to. She had all of one suitcase and no furniture, besides she might as well get used to the bus route since she had had to sell her car to afford the minor repairs on the place Robin had mentioned. Inheriting a farm didn’t mean you got it hassle free apparently. She was lucky to still have a bit of money left over to get her by still the farm was up and functioning again. Throughout the whole walk Robin chattered on about the town that was only a 30 minute walk from the farm and the all the people that lived there, it sounded like a very small, close knit community. Sarah was left asking her to repeat names and small details, like “is there a pub or restaurant?” just one apparently, the Stardrop Saloon, a local hot spot and hip place to hang according to Robin.

When they finally made their way up the driveway to the farm, the sign hanging askew from it’s post Sarah’s heart fell. She remembered a cute little farm house with pristine white shutters and perfect flower garden along the front porch with fields as far as the eye could see of crops. Reality however seemed to take that memory and rip it to tiny itty bitty shreds. The porch was over grown with weeds, the perfect garden nothing but a weeded bed of mud. The trees surrounding the property had grown rampant and it looked like at some point a wind storm had blown several of them down, leaving a mess of branches, fallen trees and weeds over the fields that needed to be cleaned up and the fences were in dire need of repair as well. She couldn’t even see the barn through the thick over growth let alone the chicken coop. 

Sarah’s expression must have been one of shock and horror because Robin laughed as she looked over at her, dropping the suitcase of the porch that looked like half the boards were about to rot out right under them. “You’re in for a lot of work here, won’t be easy getting this place back to it’s old self. You know it’s been several years since anyone has lived here, let alone... weeded.” She plucked a dandy lion out from between two boards on the porch and twirled it in her fingers. 

“Yeah... Um... it has running water right and electricity?” Sarah managed to find her voice then, swallowing down her dismay at the sight before her as she gingerly made her way up the steps to the front door. 

“Oh yeah, I got that stuff back up and going for you, you’re on well water and a septic tank out here, the power is the only thing connected to the main grid so you’ll get that bill every month. No heating though, got a beaut of a fireplace for that in the main room, heats up most of the house if you keep it going in the winter. I cleaned it out for you and made sure it was safe to get a fire going in it. You’re going to want to do a lot of renos inside as well as out eventually, but for now, she’s livable.” The woman handed the dandy lion to her along with a set of keys.

“Welp the keys to your new kingdom! Lewis said he’d stop by tomorrow once you’re settled in a bit, he can show you around the property a bit more than I could. He’s been the main caretaker since your grandfather passed away. Though he hasn’t been able to do much here I think he kept a path clear to the shed out back, so you should be able to get to that.” She nodded and patted Sarah on the shoulder with that, “make sure you come into town, if you come Friday night everyone usually goes to unwind at the saloon, I can introduce you to everyone.” And with that Robin bounded off the porch and headed back the way they had come. Leaving Sarah standing dumbfounded on the porch of her new home and... work project. 

She sucked in a breath as she dropped the weed to the ground and fumbled with the ring of keys, finding the one labelled “Front Door”. First step, get inside, then she could regret her choice to move out here after completely abandoning her life in the city.


	2. Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long first week of getting the farm ready Sarah ends up visiting the saloon on a friday night. 
> 
> Perhaps the stress is getting to her, with uncertainty and frustration over whether or not moving to the farm was the right move or not.

He grabbed the small shot glass that was slid in front of him and knocked back the clear liquor, the burning warmth of it going down his throat a welcomed sting as he slammed the glass down on the counter and signalled the bartender for another. She made a humming sound of disapproval, but refilled the glass for him. “Rough day at Joja Mart Shane?” she asked as she set the bottle down behind the counter. The man looked up at her, shrugged and downed the fresh shot without comment before tapping the glass for another refill. She obliged before she set the bottle down on the counter in front of him and went to see to another customer. 

Shane was in the middle of refilling his own glass when someone slid onto the bar stool next to him, the smell of sweat and dirt invading his senses. He looked over at the person in disgust expecting to see Lewis or Piere or someone else. Instead he was greeted with the sight of a young woman, long brown hair messily piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun, bits of grass and twigs sticking out of it. From what he could see she had dirt smudged on the back of her neck, though her sweater and jeans seemed to be cleaner than she was. She looked a bit out of place as she settled into her seat and tried to wave down Emily or Gus. 

Shane raised a brow at her when she glanced over at him, having given up on trying to get the their attention for the time being. “You know you have a twig in your hair right?” he asked her by way of greeting. The woman flushed at that and tried to pick it out of her bun unsuccessfully, all she managed to grab was a blade of grass.

“Thanks...” she sighed softly, giving up on that as well it seemed as she slumped into her seat a bit, her elbows resting heavily on the counter top. Shane reached over without thinking about it plucked the twig from her hair. 

“Shane... You must be the new farmer that took over Haven farm. My aunt Marnee mentioned you.” He refilled his own shot glass and slid it towards her. “They get a bit overwhelmed when the whole town is here.” He explained at her confused look before she accepted it and downed it. 

Her face scrunched up a bit at the taste and she cleared her throat, “Sarah... yeah that’s me... though I’m not sure you should be calling me a farmer.” She laughed mirthlessly with that as she reached for the bottle in front of him so she could refill the glass. He watched her down it and refill again, impressed as she knocked back another two shots. “And people call me a drinker,” his comment made her blush darker, adding to the redening tint on her cheeks from the booze. She relinquished the bottle and glass so he could pour himself another one. 

“Sorry... it’s been a rough week. I finally got enough ground cleared and tilled so I could plant some seeds. I don’t even know what seeds they were, I don’t even know if I did it right, but I guess I’ll just have to find out.” She heaved a deep breath with that and seemed to relax a bit more as she got that off her chest. 

“I see... well if you need help with anything, don’t ask me.” He stated roughly giving her a meaningful look. Her blue eyes went wide, at least he thought they were blue, it was hard to tell in this light. “I thought everyone here was supposed to be super friendly.” She mumbled, almost to quiet he nearly missed it. He gave her a sneering chuckle with that “I shared my vodka with you didn’t I?” 

“Shane stop being such an ass,” the blue haired bartender scolded him as she snatched the nearly empty bottle away from him along with the shot glass he was lifting to his lips. 

She looked over at Sarah and smiled warmly, “sorry I missed you, what can I get for you?” She asked in a sweeter voice than the tone she had just used with Shane. 

“Umm... do you have cider?” Sarah asked as she sat up a bit and fidgeted with the strings on her hoodie. 

“We don’t, I’ve got beer and spirits. Sadly no one in the valley really makes cider and it’s a bit to expensive to bring in from the city.” 

“I’ll take a beer than... and one for Shane.” Sarah smiled meekly with that and Emily nodded grabbing two mugs she filled them from the tap and set one in front of each of them. “On the house, my way of welcoming you to the community. I’m Emily by the way and that over there is Gus, owner of this establishment.” She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the plump middle aged man that was also tending bar. “And you’ve met Shane,” she grinned with that before she got called to the other end of the bar by a blond haired woman that looked like she had already had her fair share of drinks. 

Shane watched Emily rush off and wrapped his fingers around the pint of beer in front of himself which he pulled closer and took a sip from. “Thanks, for the beer.” He said between sips, glancing over at Sarah. She seemed to be just as focused on her own drink as he was on his. 

“Yeah... no problem.” She replied and glanced around the bar, “is farming supposed to be this hard?” she asked. 

“Anything worth doing is going to be hard, I don’t know about the whole planting thing though. I mostly just help raise the chickens my aunt sells.” He took another long sip of the beer. He hadn’t come here with any intention of talking to anyone. She didn’t seem all to interested in talking either, but at the same time she didn’t seem too opposed to it. 

“Right...” she muttered into her beer glass before taking a long gulp from it. He shrugged and returned his full focus to his own drink when he heard more than saw Robin greet the new farmer and clap the woman on the shoulder. He half listened to their conversation about how the farm was going and whether she needed any help at all before he tuned it out.

By the end of the night Shane had finished off another two beers, the light buzz of intoxication lifting his mood only slightly but it dulled his thoughts which was really all he had hoped for. When last call came he pushed himself off his bar stool, threw a couple bills on the counter to cover his tab for the night and headed out. He paused outside when the fresh night air hit him and he took in a deep breath enjoying the calm that washed through him.

He was in the middle of his own quiet reprieve when someone else stumbled out the door behind him and slammed into his back, knocking him forward and down the last step. It was less than graceful as he tripped over his own feet and fell forward, the heavy weight of someone pushing him down to the ground he landed with a off and shouted “fucking hell!” He heard the person now on top of him groan and start apologizing. The smell of liquor mixing with dirt and sweat and something vaguely sweet underneath it all assaulted him. 

“Get off me you clumsy oaf,” he growled as he twisted under them, trying to shove the person off and get up at the same time. He heard a yelp as the person, woman fell sideways and smacked into the ground next to him as he sat up. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t... know there was someone there.” Sarah was sitting up just as he righted himself, rubbing at her own head a bit, maybe it had hit the ground when he had pushed her off. 

“You could have looked,” Shane frowned at her as he pushed himself up off the ground and brushed himself off. She on the other hand stayed on the ground, one hand craddling the back of her head as she nodded slowly. 

“I-I know,” she sniffed and rubbed at her eyes with her other hand, was she... crying? Shit. He glanced back at the bar and huffed in annoyance before he stooped to pull her up to her feet, checking her head to make sure she hadn’t hurt herself. 

“Look I shouldn’t have been standing there either... partly my fault.” It wasn’t quite an apology, but it was as close as he was going to get to one. His hand lingered on her arm as she seemed to lean into him, how much had she had to drink?

“I’ll walk you home,” he said gruffly and without waiting for a response he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her down the path out of the town and towards her farm. The walk was mostly quiet, neither of them seemed to have much to say to each other as they stumbled through the dark. 

“I thought moving her would be... exciting.” She said finally as they passed the pathway that split off towards the main road of out town. 

“Mm...” he muttered back, not sure what to say to that. 

“I was just getting so sick of doing the same thing every day, I didn’t love it. You know someone once told me you should enjoy what you do for a living!” She raised her free arm in the air as if in triumph and let it fall limply to her side with that. 

“That sounds like a load of bullshit,” he replied finally, her weight shifted against his side and he had to pull her up as she stumbled on a rock. It was probably a good thing he wasn’t completely smashed tonight. Neither of them would have made it this far if he had been. 

She stopped then, just as they reached the end of the driveway and turned to look up at him, her hair loose from it’s bun and hanging around her face in disarray. Tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes as she bit her lower lip, as if contemplating something for a moment. 

“No, it’s not. What’s the point if you don’t love what you do? Why bother doing it? Because you have to?” A spark of challenge lit her eyes then, the tears slowly trickling down her cheeks as she pulled back from him slightly. 

“That’s no reason to do it! Other wise you hate waking up in the morning. Who wants to live like that?” She stared at him hard as her voice rose with a strange confidence he had heard in her earlier. She had seemed so defeated when she had sat down next to him. 

“Some people don’t have a choice,” he retorted returning her stare. He simply couldn’t find the heat for it though as he watched her, she shook her head with that and huffed, “people always have a choice.” She muttered and tried to pull away from him as she continued up the driveway, fumbling keys out of her pocket.

Shane grumbled a bit at that and followed after her, catching up easily. She was already unlocking her front door and shuffling inside when he caught up, stopping at the threshold. 

“So you moved here because you thought it would be exciting and you hated your old job. You’ve given it what... a week?” He asked as he stood in the door way, watching her kick off her shoes and toss the keys onto the kitchen table, she hadn’t even bothered to turn on the lights yet. His question made her pause and turn around to face him again though. 

“Thought... I could fix my life,” she said softly, staring at him for a moment before she went to the kitchen cupboards, she fished through one of them till she pulled out a bottle he couldn’t quiet make out from where he was. 

“Are you going to come in or are you going to stand there letting all the bugs inside?” She asked as she twisted the lid off the bottle and took a swig from it. Oh more drinking, good. 

Shane glanced back outside, well he could either leave her to it or he could go inside and join her. Maybe convince her to switch to water. She held the bottle out towards him, giving him a challenging look as she waited. 

He closed the door behind himself and kicked off his shoes before grabbing the offered bottle, taking a swig from it he set it on the table and pulled out one of the old dinning chairs and take a seat, she seemed more interested in standing as she watched him, curious. 

“What could have been so bad about your life that it needs fixing?” He asked finally, watching her in return.

Sarah swayed on her feet, humming in thought as she tugged on the hem of her sweater. “I’m almost 30 and I have... what, a run down farm? I quit my job, sold my car everything.” She heaved a sigh with that and slowly sank to the ground, sitting in an awkward puddle as she reached for the edge of the table, trying to find the bottle. He put it into her hand and watched as she took more sips from it. 

“So? I’m 29 and I live with my aunt and my niece. I used to live in the city, like you. I don’t even have a run down farm. I work at the Joja mart in town. Every day, stocking shelves.” He held his hand out towards her, silently asking for the bottle. It took her a moment to relinquish it. 

“Oh, so that’s why you’re such a grumpy asshole,” she said letting him put the bottle back on the table. She heaved herself off the floor and shuffled over to him, biting her lower lip again. Was that a nervous habit she had? He couldn’t be sure, but it distracted him enough thinking about it that he didn’t realize what she was doing till she had slid onto his lap, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her legs on either side of the chair. He could smell the vodka on her breath as she leaned in close, feel the press of her chest against his and the warmth pooling between them. 

“Sarah... what are y-“ he was cut off when her lips collided with his, her hands sank into his hair, fingers curling against the back of his neck. His brain was too fuzzy to fully understand what was happening, but his body knew how to react as his hands slid to her lower back, pulling her closer as he returned the sloppy drunken kiss. 

It felt like hours had passed before she broke away, her forehead resting against his as she took in a deep breath, her fingers relaxing their grip. He kept his eyes closed, listening to her ragged breaths desperately trying to make sense of what just happened. He was still holding her close to him, one of his hands gently running up her back, trying to be soothing? Maybe. She was so warm and soft though he could feel the start of calluses building on her fingers and palms as she smoothed her own hands on the back on his neck. One of her hands slid under the collar of his sweater, fingers grazing his shoulder blades. Neither of them spoke. 

The hand still resting on her lower back slid lower, his fuzzy brain telling him to stop even as she kissed him again, this kiss more controlled than the first one. It was more probing, testing the limits as she moved her hands to try and pull at his sweater and he had to stop her. He pushed himself back from her, pushing his body into the chair as he broke the kiss and swallowed hard. 

“Sarah you’re drunk,” he stated plainly as if that would snap her out of it. She looked up at him, the tears had returned to her wide eyes, they were definitely blue. This close, in the moonlight that filtered through the windows he could see the soft hue of them. She looked... sad and confused and annoyed all at once before she nodded and tried to untangle herself from his lap. He helped her stand as he found his own feet and she tried to reach for the bottle again. As much as he wanted to do that himself he snatched it away from her and put the lid back on it. 

“Come on, bed.” He set the bottle aside out of her reach and gently guided her away from the kitchen. Wordlessly she stumbled to what he assumed was the bedroom.


	3. Do you remember?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah woke up with one hell of a hangover and a day full of chores ahead of her when someone makes a surprise visit.

The morning sun filtering in through the window stung her eyes as she rolled over in bed and buried her face into the mildew smelling pillow. Oh god her head was pounding and her stomach was twisting in knots, how much did she drink last night? 

Sarah rolled out of bed, the cold wood floor shocking her system awake a bit more as she shuffled to the bathroom. She fumbled through the cabinet and grumbled to herself, she hadn’t had the chance to restock it yet. Settling for brushing her teeth and drinking several glasses of tap water to try and calm her stomach she combed her fingers through her hair and put it up in a messy ponytail. 

The morning went about as well could be expected with a headache that wouldn’t quit as Sarah slogged through her morning chores. She got the crops watered, luckily she only had a small ten foot by ten foot patch to tend to. She was going to have to start out small. The seeds looked like they were taking hold though, she could see the faintest little sprouts coming up and it gave her a bit of confidence. 

When the crops were tended she endevoured to remove more branches before she got out the old push mower that was stashed in the shed out back. By lunch her headache was nothing but a dull ache so it matched every other part of her body that ached from the work outside. She collapsed on the steps of the porch with a glass of cold water and chugged it down as she surveyed what she gotten done so far. Most of the front yard was cleared off, the driveway looked like it could fit a car or two in it now and she could see the whole front porch. She had even uncovered the rocking chair her grandfather had sat in all the time, it needed some sanding and refinishing. Just one more thing to add to her ever growing list. 

She set her glass aside and frowned in thought, her fingers brushing over her lips as she tried to recall last night. She remembered sitting at the bar, meeting... Shane was it? Having far too many drinks there before Robin had swept in and dragged her off to introduce her to other people. She couldn’t recall all of their names, but they had bought her round after round of drinks. Marnie... maybe? Was the local live stock trader, so when she finally had the barn and coop sorted out she could look into buying some animals from the woman. That was quite a ways down the road though. She had just gotten plants growing. 

She wasn’t too sure what had happened after than, obviously she had made it home in one piece and she hadn’t woken up with someone next to her. She took another sip of water before she flopped back on the porch to stare up at the sagging ceiling over her head. Another thing for the list. 

By the late evening she had managed to clean up the porch and hose if off. She even got the garden weeded and ready for some flowers. Maybe she could head into the village tomorrow to pick up some seedlings. 

Sarah was about to head inside when she saw someone heading up the driveway. A young man in a dark sweater, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans as he seemed to trudge up the drive towards her. She wrinkled her nose a bit in thought as she watched him, was that... Shane? She thought that was his name. The closer he got she could make out his long hair which was flipped over to one side. It looked like he had a bit of an undercut and... was that an earring she saw glinting in his ear? 

She finished winding the hose back up, “Sarah?” He called out, stopping a few feet away from her.

“Hmm?” She wiped her hands off on her jeans and looked over at him, raising a brow.

“Thought I would come out here to make sure you were okay...” he trailed off a bit as he looked over the farm and her small crop plot. 

“Uh... yeah I’m fine, woke up with a killer headache and I’m not entirely sure what happened after I got home, but yeah.” She nodded staring at him for a long moment as she let her hands rest on her hips. 

“Ah... good. Marnie asked me to check on you is all.” He nodded slightly with that and turned to leave. 

“Did you... umm... Did you walk me home last night?” Sarah asked after a moment of silence. She bit her lower lip lightly as she waited for his answer. 

“Yeah... I did, you kind of bowled me over on your way out of the bar, you might have hit your head. So I walked you home.” He glanced over his shoulder at her and she thought she could see a faint flush touch his cheeks under the stubble there. 

“Ah... thank you. I wasn’t sure... but I feel like I remember it vaguely.” She smiled at him with that, “and sorry if I said anything weird.” She added. 

Shane simply nodded back and looked away all to quickly. “Yeah... don’t expect it to happen again.” He tossed a hand over his shoulder dismissively and left the way he had come. Odd. Sarah felt like he had wanted to say more when he had first approached but she shrugged it off as he left. 

The rest of her evening remained uneventful as she made herself a small dinner which was pretty much just a bowl of cereal, checked her e-mails and her text messages. _Hoping you’re doing alright out there, miss you._ Several more texts from her mum and dad all hoping she was doing okay. She sent a quick reply before she collapsed into her bed.


	4. Sunday Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip into town has Sarah meeting more of the towns people and learning more about the rude man from the bar.

Pelican town on a Sunday was surprisingly busy. Everyone seemed to be out and about, taking in the spring sunshine and warmer weather. She paused outside the clinic and glanced in through the window, the nurse behind the counter looked up then and smiled at her giving her a slight wave. She blinked, confused for a heart beat before she nodded back and offered an awkward wave in response. She moved on to the general shop next door, pausing to look over the bulletin board next to the entrance. Small town indeed. She had never seen anyone posting birthdays and requests for help around town. Man everyone here really did know each other. She grimaced at that but continued on inside the store. She grabbed a little basket from next to the door and started browsing the shop. 

Sarah was halfway down one of the isles when someone tapped her on the shoulder making her jump. 

“Hahaha sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” a chipper voice said as the woman with blue hair, Emily was it? From the bar beamed at her. 

“I just wanted to say hi to you properly,” she held her hand out towards her. Sarah gave her hand a shake and smiled back as politely as possible. 

“It’s nice to meet you again, Emily was it?” She asked. 

“Yup! That’s me and you’re Sarah Wilson right? You know I knew grandpa, he was a nice man. Grew the best tasting vegetables and fruits ever. He always said it was the soil and the love he put into it.” She grinned and paused to grab a jar of jam off the shelf in front of them. Everything here looked like it was made by local artisans or something.

“Yeah he used to say that all the time, I’m beginning to realize that love is code for a whole lot of hard work.” Sarah laughed as she picked out her own jar of jam and added it her basket alongside the load of bread. At least she was planning on switching to jam and toast for her meals. At least till she started getting money in from crops. 

“Oh if you want to sell stuff, Pierre is your guy. He does consignment here and always has the best selection. Better even than that boxy Joja mart.” Emily said as she motioned to the whole shop. 

“Thanks, I’ll definitely have to talk to him about it once I get some stuff to harvest. My little sprouts are just starting right now.” 

Their conversation went on for several more minutes as they wandered down each little aisle, Emily pointing out who made what and raving about how good it all was. Somehow the other woman made Sarah feel at ease as they seemed to fall into easy conversation.

When they made it to the counter Emily even introduced her to the middle aged man behind it. Pierre seemed to be about as friendly as everyone else she had met here so far and they even discussed her eventually selling her produce here and if she decided to start making anything they could sell that stuff here as well. They would work out the details when she brought her first load of produce for him. 

Sarah and Emily parted always outside, leaving Sarah clutching her paper bag of meager groceries to her chest and pondering whether she wanted to head home or explore the town a bit more. It wasn’t like the bag was that heavy, perhaps a day of exploring the town wasn’t a terrible idea. She meandered down through what looked like the main town square, taking in everything. There was a group of women chatting eagerly with each other. She thought she recognized one of them as Jodi, someone Robin had introduced her to on Friday night. Sarah must have been staring because the blond woman noticed her and smiled waving her over to the little group. 

Well... she supposed meeting more people here couldn’t be a terrible thing. She approached the group putting on her best smile. 

“Sarah! This is Evelyn and Caroline.” She gestured to the woman with her, an much older woman, Evelyn offered a small nod. The other woman looked more Jodi’s age, maybe mid 40s with soft green hair done up in neat braids gave her a friendly smile. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sarah replied softly, shifting the bag in her arms and offering a freed up hand to the two ladies respectively. 

“Your grandfather was a genius of a man, shame we’ll never get to have his cider again.” Evelyn tisked softly as she adjust the shall around her shoulders. 

“He made cider?” Sarah gave her a perplexed look. 

“Oh he did,” Jodi added. “Mostly apple, but I think he did do some flavoured ciders. Probably still has all the equipment for it in that barn of his.” 

“Only reason I ever went to Gus’ place, bah all he serves now is that beer of his which is just not to my liking.” Evelyn chipped in, Caroline nodded slowly in agreement. 

“You know... if you take up that hobby of his Pierre and I would be more than happy to sell it at the store.” Caroline chimed in, she giggled a bit at the look of confusion from Sarah. “Pierre’s my husband, oh you should meet our daughter Abigail, she’s about your age. Though she’s pretty far from running her own farm or anything like that.” 

Sarah smiled at them and nodded slowly, she had no idea her grandfather had made cider. Her parents had never mentioned it and it wasn’t something she remembered from her visits to the farm, granted they had never stayed very long and she had been young. 

“I’ll have to look into it, I don’t know much about farming, let along brewing cider.” Sarah added nervously and had to adjust her hold on the bag once more. 

“Well if you ever want to ask any questions about that I think Gus could help you out. He brews his own beer, so he might know a thing or two about cider.” Jodi supplied helpfully. 

Sarah listened to them go on about the the logistics of brewing various alcohols for what felt like an hour before she managed to excuse herself and make her escape. She meandered passed the women and headed for the south of town, slowly veering in the direction of her farm. She thought she recalled there maybe being another entrance to her farm from the south, maybe she could find it if she walked enough in the right general direction. 

It was nearing early evening when she passed by what looked like a medium sized farm with several cows and pigs in the paddock. She guessed this was Marine’s place. She paused to watch the animals for a bit, leaning against the fence as they grazed. She heard someone approaching her on the gravel path, clearing their throat as they got close. 

“Planning on animals already?” Marnie came up beside her and nodded towards the cows. 

“Oh... No not yet. Just taking a breather. I thought I remembered there being another path to Haven farm down this way. I remember hiking that way with my folks when we went to the forest for a picnic once or twice.” Sarah shifted away from the fence and stooped to pick her bag back up. 

“Ahh... there is, just to the left of my property, might be a bit over grown though. No one’s been that way in... well years.” Marnie said softly, “how about you come in for some dinner though? You look like you could eat and I might have over cooked a bit.”

Was everyone in this town really this friendly? Sarah hesitated with the offer, on the one hand a nice home cooked meal sounded amazing, on the other... her stomach won out though in end. 

“That sounds wonderful, “ she agreed. 

Marnie beamed with that and lead her inside, Sarah she her groceries down by the door along with her dirt caked boots. Being inside of someone else’s house had always made her feel awkward, like she didn’t fully belong, but in the city you didn’t get invited into someone’s house so readily for dinner.

“I’ll go get you a drink and maybe try to encourage Shane to come out and see you.” Marine bustled off with that and Sarah could hear her knocking on a door and shouting for someone to come out and join them.

Sarah fiddled with the hem of her sweater as she sat awkwardly on the couch, glancing around the small living room. It was warm and quaint, knick knacks decorated the fireplace mantle mixed with family photos. She got up off the couch and went to check them out. One photo showed Marnie, her brown hair hanging loose around her shoulders, she was holding a baby in her arms and next to her stood a young couple. The man looked a lot like Shane, clean shaven, green eyes bright as he smiled at the camera with his arms wrapped around the young woman, she had equally dark hair and deep brown eyes as she leaned back into the man and looked over at the baby in Marnie’s arms. 

“That’s my brother and his wife.” A rough voice interrupted her pondering and she spun around to look at the source. Shane stood in the door way, wearing the same blue sweater he’d had on the other evening when he had come to check on her. He looked like he had just woken up, his hair rumpled and his stubble thicker than it had been before. 

“Oh,” she replied. “They look happy, is that the niece you mentioned before?” She asked not sure what else to ask, he moved closer to her then, almost standing next to her, she could smell beer on his breath as he got close enough. 

“Yeah, Jas. She’s off having dinner at a friend’s place tonight other wise I am sure she would be here talking your ear off.” He explained, she thought she heard a bit of sadness in his voice and she frowned slightly. 

“So where are her parents then? I didn’t see them at the Saloon on Friday night and no one else has mentioned them.” She asked rather bluntly and looked over at him, suddenly very aware of how close he had moved to her so he could look at the photo as well. She took in a bit of a breath and shifted away from him.

“They’re... Well they’re not around. She lives here with Marnie and I. I moved here after I lost my job in the city and decided to help raise Jas. Marnie gets so busy with the animals and stuff, she needs the help sometimes.” His voice sounded rougher the more he spoke about it and he stole a glance at her when he finished.

Sarah was about to say something when Marnie returned to the living room carrying a tray of drinks she set it down on the table. “Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes, I just have to make the gravy.” She smiled a bit at Shane when she noticed they were looking at the family portraits on the mantle. She was gone before Sarah could thank her for the drink though and she was left again in the hanging silence. 

Shane was the first one to move, grabbing one of the pints off the tray and taking a long sip of it before sitting on the couch. Sarah followed suit, sitting next to him as she sipped at the beer. It must have been the same one Gus served, she guessed also brewed himself. 

“So you don’t remember do you?” He asked suddenly, she felt his weight shifting on the couch next to her and she glanced over at him. 

“Remember what?” Sarah asked, her fingers wrapping around her glass. She puzzled over the question as she stared at him for a long moment trying to figure out what he could possibly be referring to. He was an odd man, one minute he was being abrasive and stand-offish the next he was... sitting close to her, his thigh brushing her own. He was watching her carefully now, studying her face as her question hung in the air between them. She bit her lower lip as she tried to think back to... oh Friday night. Did something happen between them? She had had so much to drink, she barely remembered him walking her home. Stumbling through dark with his arm around her. She vaguely recalled saying something, getting worked up about whatever it was they were talking about.

Shane was still watching her closely, frowning a bit. Even unshaven he was... well if she was being honest he was attractive. If a little haunted looking, the dark circles under his eyes and the the unkempt look of his hair made her frown. He leaned closer then and her eyes wide as she let go of her glass in her own shock at suddenly remembering something. She’d kissed him! 

Shane yelped at the sudden cold beer in his lap making her jump and fumble the glass even more. More of it spilled on her own lap she quickly moved to set the glass down on the table before she caused more of a mess as he cursed softly and got up, his pants soaked through. 

“Oh my god, I am so sorry!” She apologized quickly as she scrambled for the knleenx box on the coffee table, using a fist full of them to dab at Shane’s pants as he stood in front of her. He roughly grabbed her hands, stopping her administrations. “Stop, you’re just going to make it worse.” He grumbled and and took the damp Kleenex from her tossing them to the table. 

“First you knock me to the ground when you drunkenly stumble out of the saloon and then you go and spill beer all over my lap. You sure have one hell of a way of hitting on a guy.” He quipped, Sarah sat speechless as she stared up at him, mortified. She hadn’t meant to spill her drink much less... oh god she had been so drunk that night. She could recall the heated kiss faintly now, the feel of his enjoyment pressing against her thigh as she had straddle his lap and... Jesus. He had stopped her though, had gotten her to bed before she had passed out. She swallowed down her embarrassment and nodded slowly. 

“Sorry,” she muttered softly, the beer had soaked into her own jeans as well and she quickly stood up. “Where’s the bathroom?” She asked quietly, maybe she could use this as an excuse to get out of here and head home. 

“Just down the hall... I’ll get you a clean pair of jeans. You can borrow a pair of mine.” He said gruffly and he quickly disappeared down the hall, she bit back another apology and followed after him, stopping when she found the bathroom door. She ducked inside and sighed softly at the state of her jeans. She tried using a wash cloth to wipe her pants off, but it only soaked them further and she ended up shimmying out of them. Great, her first invite into someone else’s home here and she was already in their bathroom stripping because she had made a fool of herself. 

She was halfway through getting the jeans off and cursing herself for being such a clumsy fool she didn’t hear the knock on the door before it opened. Shane stuck his head inside and held out a pair of clean jeans for her, staring he flushed and looked away quickly. She blinked several times at him not bothering to cover herself up as she stared at him dumbly. Well it wouldn’t be the first time she had been in front of a guy half naked. 

“Thanks...” she said grabbing the jeans from him as she finished getting her own off. “For... well not just the pants.” She pulled the fresh jeans on and buttoned them, they were far to large for her, but at least they were clean. She fished the belt out of her own jeans and put it on, cinching it tight. 

“I wasn’t hitting on you,” she pointed out finally, noticing he was still standing in the doorway to the bathroom despite his clear embarrassment at having walked in on her mid change. 

“You sure have funny of not hitting on people then,” he retorted finally looking over at her. She thought she saw the faintest hint of a smile on his lips as he took her in, the over sized pants making her look more like a homeless person than she wanted to admit. 

“Yeah well... I guess I’m making quite the impression then. Sorry about the kiss...” she said finally. 

“You do-“ Shane was cut off by the sound of Marnie calling out to them that dinner was ready. “Never mind,” he said instead and left the bathroom, heading for the kitchen. Sarah sucked in a breath, balled up her jeans and headed followed after him yet again. 

The dinner was delicious, Sarah savoured every bite of food and she even enjoyed the idle conversation with Marnie. Shane seemed intent on staying silent the entire time, barely even making eye contact with her as much as she tried to look his way. By the end of the evening Marnie had packed her a slice of pie to go in a tupperware and saw her own, laughing off the apologies over the spilled beer.

Marnie had been right about the pathway being over grown, but it was already growing so late that Sarah pushed through the tall weeds anyway and trudged her way back to the farm house.


	5. What happens on the dock...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah is beginning to get the hang of farm life, several weeks have passed and summer is in full swing when she finally runs into Shane again. Maybe there is more to the coarse man than she first thought, that or he is just a grumpy man with no hope of saving.

Sarah wiped at her brow as the mid day summer sun beat down on her, she only had two more rows of strawberries to pick before she could head into town with her mid summer harvest for Peirre. She had gotten progressively better at this farming thing. Her first harvest of parsnips had turned out alright, half the crop had been plagued with pests, but she had managed to save the other half. It had only taken her two more harvests before she had gotten the hang of it, getting up first thing, watering and checking the leaves all before the sun rose. Then she was able to put more time into clearing more of the field. She had even managed to clear all the way to the barn and had gotten the doors open, prying the clinging ivy from them. 

The barn had turned into weeks of labour getting it dusted and cleared out, she had found the kegs a glass carboy an airlock and an old press. She had had to ask Gus to come out and explain what all the stuff was. With his help and the help of good old google she had managed to figure out the basics. Granted she needed the apples first and she had managed to find the apple trees her grandfather had grown. They were all lined up next to the barn, she also discovered several other fruit trees growing there.

In a couple more weeks she’d be able to harvest some apples and then she could figure out the press. She had been storing some of her other harvested fruits in the cold cellar she’d found in the barn. Maybe she could make this little farm known for cider. It had been her grandfather’s hobby, but maybe she could turn it into her passion.

Sarah went back to plucking the strawberries, dropping them into her weighed down basket. She hadn’t seen Shane for weeks... ever since returning his jeans to him she had steadfastly avoided going into town unless she was bringing produce into the general store or picking up groceries for herself. 

Robin occasionally stopped by to help her do repairs on the house, they had started with the porch and moved to the kitchen. Lewis had also come to see how she was doing, he had given her some tips when it came to planting the strawberry seedlings she had purchased from Peirre. 

For the most part though Sarah had been trying to keep to herself, to focus on the farm and of making something of it. Sometimes after a long day she grabbed her slowly dwindling bottle of vodka and sat in the old rocking chair on her porch. It helped pass the evenings as she ignored her phone and the non-existent text messages. 

She finished picking the rest of the strawberries and stored the full baskets in the cold cellar. She could bring them into town in the morning for Pierre. For today... the heat and sun the little pond in Cinder forest was sounding like a pleasant way to cool off. With that thought in mind she went inside and grabbed a towel, her blue tooth speaker and container of cut up melon she had harvest last week. She deserved an afternoon of relaxing and cooling off and she doubted anyone else would be out there in the middle of the week. 

After her last trek through the southern path from her farm Sarah had spent a day or two clearing it so she wouldn’t come away with cuts and scrapes the next time she wanted to take the short cut. 

She made it to the pond, picking her way to the dock she dropped her bag and pulled out the towel, laying it out she set the blue tooth speaker down and pulled out her phone picking out a playlist. Sarah wriggled out of her dirty jeans and pulled off her sweat soaked t-shirt, dropping them on the dock next to her bag. In nothing but her under wear and bra she dove into the water. 

The cool water and music lulled her into day dreams as she floated on the water’s surface, closing her eyes and letting the sunlight dance across her eyelids as it filtered through the leaves of the trees above her. She could feel the music through the water more than hear it as the pond drowned out the world around her. Things were beginning to work out for her here, she was actually enjoying waking up every morning, as sore and tired as she was it was a good feeling. To know she was slowly turning the run down farm she had inherited into something her grandfather might some day, be proud of.

A shadow fell across her, blocking out the warm sun and she blinked her eyes open to look up at the cause, frowning a bit as she couldn’t quite see what it was. She shifted and swam back to the dock, grabbing the edge as she pulled herself up out of the water. 

“You don’t have a swim suit?” The rough voice caught her off guard and she sat on the edge of the dock, pulling her towel over to herself and drying off her long dark hair. 

“No. Didn’t know I’d need one.” She replied curtly and set the towel aside and glanced over her shoulder at Shane. The man was carrying a two four of beer which he set down next to her backpack as he claimed a seat next to her. He silently ripped the case open and pulled two out handing one over to her and opening the other for himself. 

“Thanks,” Sarah mumbled. She took the can and cracked it open and took a sip. They sat in silence for a long moment, quietly taking sips of their beers as they let their feet dip into the water bellow them. Apparently Shane had taken his shoes and socks off as he had approached the dock. 

She finished off her beer quickly, crushing the can in her hand and setting it aside. That earned her a raised brow from Shane but instead of commenting he handed her a fresh one. 

“So do you make it a habit of sneaking up on women who are taking a dip in the pond?” She asked, settling the fresh can between her thighs as she twisted around to grab for her bag. She rummaged around in it and pulled the container of melon out, peeling off the lid she offered him a chunk. 

“I wasn’t exactly sneaking up on you, I don’t normally run into anyone else here, aside from Leah, but she’s been at the beach lately, hanging out with that writer that lives in the cabin there.” He shrugged and popped the piece of fruit into his mouth. 

Sarah glanced over at him as he spoke, popping a piece of melon in her mouth. He looked... tired. She could see the bags under his eyes and his scruff was... well he clearly shaved every now and then, because he wasn’t exactly growing a beard, but he didn’t seem to bothered to shave every day. His hair had gotten longer since she’d last seen him, he was pushing it back every now and then when it fell in his face. 

“And you were coming here to... drink twenty-four beers on your own?” She asked, eyebrow raised as she looked pointedly at the case between them. 

“Is that a crime?” He asked, sarcasm dripping from the words as he finished off his own drink and opened another. 

“Not that I know of, but people don’t normally go out to drink that much on their own with no reason.” She commented, taking another long sip of her beer. 

“You and your reasons. When I first met you, you went on about needing a good reason to be at a job and some other crap. Have you ever thought that sometimes shit happens to people and they make the best they can of the situation or that sometimes shit just keeps happening to the same person?” He asked roughly, his greens burning with anger as he squeezed the half empty can in his hand. 

Sarah frowned at him, studying his expression carefully as she thought about how to respond to him. 

“Shit happens to everyone, it’s how you react to it that defines you. Hiding yourself at the bottom of a beer can isn’t exactly the best way of dealing with it.” She pointed out, glancing down at her own can of beer. “Not that I’m one to talk.” She closed her eyes for a long moment, taking in a breath before she drank more of the beer. 

“Oh what could have happened to you that was so bad? You inherited a farm, a future. You admitted last time you quit a job to come here and do this. No one forced you to.” He was almost glaring at her now,was he really comparing his troubles to her’s? Did she really come off as such a spoiled city brat? 

Sarah scoffed at him and without really thinking about it she poured her beer over his head, watching in satisfaction as his expression flashed from shock to annoyance and anger. “You know nothing about me, just like I don’t know anything about you. How dare you try to compare out lives.” She tossed the now empty can at him and got to her feet, bending to grab her bag and pack everything away inside of it. She was stopped by a hand on her wrist. Silence raged between them for what felt like minutes. 

“I’m sorry...” he said finally, pulling her backwards with that, she lost her balance then and fell back into his lap, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, burying his face in her neck. 

She didn’t know what to do as she sat there, too stunned to say anything or move. She could feel his beer soaked shirt against her back, his arms crossed over her chest. She let her hands fall to her sides as she heaved a breath finally. 

“I’m sorry for assuming anything about you,” she said finally. She shifted a bit in his lap and that made him release her slowly, easing his grip on her. When she had the slightest bit of freedom she eased away from him, shifting back to the dock next to him. “I’m not sorry about dumping the beer on you though.” She quipped. 

“I... probably deserved that,” he replied quietly. He seemed to be struggling with something for a moment before he looked over at her. “My brother... he and his wife were murdered, they were out at a play or something and were on their way home when someone mugged them.” He said finally letting the weight of that settle in, he pushed his now wet hair out of his face again. 

“I’m... really sorry to hear that,” Sarah didn’t know what else to say, she had guessed something had happened to them. After seeing the photo and learning that Jas lived with her great aunt and her uncle. 

“Like I said, shit happens.” He replied and focused on his drink again. 

“My best friend died,” she admitted finally, looking over at him. “He... well I never got the chance to tell him that...” she shook her head and smiled a bit to herself. “You probably don’t want to hear it,” she grabbed another can of beer from the box and opened it, drinking half of it in one go. Shane watched her and to her surprise he laughed. She blinked as she set the beer down in her lap and stared back at him. 

“The way you drink, you’re a woman after my own heart.” He chuckled with that and raised his can towards her as if for a cheers. It took her a second but she clinked her can against his. “To them,” he said. 

The two of them ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and into the evening drinking and laughing over stories. He would share one about his brother and she would return the favour with one of her friend. Eventually the heat of the summer day gave way to a cool night and Sarah found herself shivering, wrapping her towel around herself before they finally admitted defeat to the chill. Shane helped her gather up her stuff and walked her home, leaving her at the edge of her porch. 

“Don’t get used to this,” he said, waiting for her to head inside before he left.


	6. Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane is trying to figure out his feelings for the new farm girl, when Sarah runs into her white knight in shinning armour while making a delivery into town.

Shane rolled over in bed, staring up at the ceiling as he thought back to yesterday. He had not expected to see her there, let alone in her underwear in soaking in the water like that. He had stood there for at least ten minutes watching her just floating peacefully in the cool water, her dark hair rippling around her, bleeding with the water. She had looked... like a goddess, as cheesy as that sounded even in his own mind. Since he had first met her, she had gotten a dark tan from working out in the sun day in and day out and she looked more toned than she had at the bar. Not that he had noticed then how toned she was... aside from when she had been straddling his lap and kissing him. He groaned softly to himself at those thoughts and tried to stamp them down before they could cause an uncomfortable situation. 

Every interaction with the woman had left him confused and frustrated, she either challenged him to look at something differently, dumped beer on him or left him feeling wanting. Yesterday he had shared more with her than he had even shared with Marnie. He had actually laughed... he hadn’t done that in... well not since his brother had died and he had been fired from his job for his sudden unreliability. 

The sound of his alarm going off stirred him from his thoughts and he groaned, flopping out of his bed he tried to shove his hair into a tamed mess and went about putting on his work uniform before trudging out the door. 

Shane had his headphones in, hood pulled up over his head in the early morning chill and was focused on the ground as he took the familiar route across town to the Joja mart hell hole he worked at. He paused mid step when the sound of something hitting the ground with a loud crack could be heard over his music. He looked up to see the farm girl staring helplessly at a a wooden crate that laid shattered on the ground, fresh strawberries spilled across the cobble stones. It looked like her wheelbarrow had hit a divot and one of the three crates she had precariously stacked in it had fallen out. Shane pulled his headphones out, stuffing them in his pocket as he started across the town square towards her. He was halfway there when someone else jogged over to her and started picking up the strawberries one by one.

He halted and watched as Harvey of all people, helped Sarah clean up the mess. The man even pulled off his green blazer and used it to hold all of the loose fruit. Shane rolled his eyes at the sight as the bumbling doctor crawling on the ground with Sarah as they tried to save as many strawberries as they could. Well it looked like she already had a knight shinning armour to help her out. Shane continued on towards work, the pair too wrapped up in what they were doing to notice him swiftly walk passed them. 

———

Sarah was completely horrified when she saw the crate tipping and falling, the loud crashing sound made her wince as and she almost dropped the wheelbarrow in her haste to try and grab it. She was staring at the mess in shock when she heard the door of the small clinic opened and someone rushed outside to help her. 

“Are you alright?” He asked while he started scrambling on the ground to pick up the strawberries. 

“Um... yeah I’m fine, just the crate that seems to have suffered,” Sarah replied as she moved to help him. She flushed when he took his blazer off and used it to hold all of the strawberries they were gathering. They rushed to gather everything up and Sarah tried to salvage the crate so they could at least get most of the fruit back into it. 

The man helping her was ruining his jacket and she cringed at the sight of the red juice stains on the fabric. “Thank you... for the help.” She said finally when they managed to get most of them picked up and saved what they could, filling the remaining half of the crate up. Luckily Peirre’s shop was only a few meters away, she didn’t have to carry them much further. 

“No problem, I heard the noise and figured you might need the help.” He replied, pushing the thick rimmed glasses back up his nose. She hadn’t really gotten a chance to look at him properly while they had been cleaning. He was maybe a few years older than her with dark brown hair that had a soft wave to it. He also sported a rather attractive moustache and goatee that on most men would make them look a bit douchie, but on him... it made the angle of his jaw more pronounced and... god was she that deprived?

She brushed her hands off on her jeans when they were done and held one out to her. “I’m Sarah Wilson, I took over Haven farm.” She offered. 

“Harvey Conlon, I own the clinic.” He shook her hand lightly, hanging his jacket over his other arm. 

“Nice to meet you Harvey and thank you again for the help. Sorry about your jacket... I can wash that for you.” She offered, motioning to the stains on it. 

“Oh you don’t need to do that,” He suddenly looked flustered and shook his head as she smiled a bit at the awkwardness of it. “Well at least let me thank you for the help?” She asked, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was offering, but he had been nice enough to help her out. 

He seemed to contemplate it for a long moment before he nodded slowly, “sure. What did you have in mind?” He asked, she could still see the blush on his cheeks as he shifted awkwardly, almost as if he was unsure of what to do in this situation. 

“Um... dinnner! I can make you dinner. I actually grew some amazing turnips and potatoes and I have some chicken breasts I need to cook up.” She started rambling a bit there and had to stop herself as she smiled a bit at him. 

“Dinner sounds... great.” He returned her faint smile and as if suddenly remembering what he had helped her pick up. “Oh here let me get the door for you,” he rushed to open the door to Peirre’s for her as she grabbed the damaged crate and carried it inside, setting it just inside the door before grabbing the other two. 

“Thanks, so how does 6pm tonight sound for dinner?” She asked as she set final crate down inside and waved over to Peirre. 

“Sounds great, I’ll see you then.” Harvey smiled warmly at that before he took his leave, saying something about having to open up the clinic. 

Sarah took the envelope of cash from Peirre as well as a fresh loaf of bread she could use for garlic bread to go with dinner tonight. “I’ll come back for the crates tomorrow if that’s okay?” She asked as she tucked the envelope into the pocket of her jeans. 

“Sure no problem, hey you know you’re only going to be bringing more and more crates each time. Maybe you should look into getting a truck or something.” He said as he went to bring the crates to the back room. 

“Yeah a truck would be great, but I just can’t afford one right now.” She said and smiled a bit at that. 

“I actually have one I’m trying to sell, it’s old and needs some love but it would get you to and from the farm with your deliveries. We could work out a deal,” he said finally as he grabbed the last crate. 

“I heard you’re getting into cider making, so how about I call dibs on the second batch you make?” He asked when he noticed her concerned expression. She smiled at that, “are you serious? I mean... yeah I can do that.” She beamed with that, she was slowly getting used to everyone here being so nice. 

“Great! I will drop the truck off for this afternoon.” He smiled in return as she fought the urge to go give him a hug, instead she nodded a thanks and hurried out of the shop, grabbing her wheelbarrow she headed back to the farm. Somehow in one day she had managed to make a fool of herself in the middle of town, invite an incredibly attractive doctor to dinner and somehow get a truck she was going to pay for with cider. Sometimes she wondered how her life had gone from living in a crummy apartment, working a 9-5 job and going out to different bars every weekend, to... well to living in a small town where everyone knew each other and where people did things like selling a truck for a batch of cider. 

The rest of her day went all to quickly as Sarah rushed about the farm getting dinner ready and cleaning up the house enough to have a guest over. She even managed to get in a quick shower before she had to pull the chicken out of the oven. She was just mashing the turnip when someone knocked on the door and she called out for them to come in. 

“Sarah?” A familiar voice called out to her from the doorway and she glanced over from the stove, her house was an open concept in that it was really just one giant room with clearly divided spaces. The bedroom and bathroom were separated by a door towards the back of the house. 

“Hey Harvey, sorry I’m just getting this finished,” she grabbed the pots of food and moved them to the dinning table she had already laid out with plates and cutlery. 

“No problem, Peirre was outside with a truck, he asked me to give you the keys.” He held up a key ring and dangled them for her. 

“Amazing! I owe him for that,” she smiled at him and tossed her oven mitts on the counter. 

“I also brought a bottle of wine... I felt weird showing up empty handed.” Harvey smiled as he held up the bottle, he set the keys aside before moving to set the bottle on the table and take a seat. 

“You did not have to bring wine, this was supposed to be me thanking you.” She laughed with that and grabbed two wine glasses and a bottle opener before she took her own seat at the table as well. 

“Only seemed fair,” he replied as he took the opener and poured them both a glass. 

Sarah had half expected the evening to go weirdly but it ended up being quite nice. They talked about interesting facts about Pelican town for a bit, like how apparently George was convinced there forest spirits that lived in the valley and how Penny taught the local kindergarten class at the library, there weren’t a whole lot of school age kids here so she taught them till they were old enough to take a bus into the next town over for grade school. 

Eventually they were finishing off the last glass of wine each and laughing over how everyone here seemed so close to each other. 

“So you came out here to run the clinic?” She asked, taking a sip of her wine as she let her elbows rest on the table, holding her glass in her hands and watching him over the rim of it. 

“Yeah, I finished med school and figured that... well Stardew Valley seemed like a breath of fresh air. You know?” He leaned a bit closer as well, setting his own glass down as he explained his decision to move here. 

“Yeah I kinda get that, I moved here for kind of the same reasons.” Sarah laughed a bit but the sound didn’t seem to hold much mirth to it. 

“Well that’s a pretty big change, from city life to farmer. What did you before this?” He asked. 

“I worked as a graphic designer for Joja...” she shrugged slightly and finished the last bit of wine in her glass, almost looking a little sad about it. 

“Ah, well sometimes the path to what makes you happy isn’t as straight as people think.” He said, drawing another smile from Sarah. 

“I suppose so... my grandfather used to say something similar.” She laughed lightly at that and moved to get up, grabbing some of the dishes she brought them to the sink. 

“So would you like desert?” She asked as she filled the sink with hot water, she didn’t hear him getting up and bringing more of the dishes over and she ended up twisting around quickly, smacking into him. Her forehead his hit chin and she winced, he dropped the pan he was holding and stumbled back a bit. 

“Ouch,” he mumbled as she blinked a few times and rubbed at her forehead. 

“I am so sorry,” she looked up realizing he was holding a hand over his mouth and moving to take a seat. God damnit she was so clumsy. 

She frowned and grabbed a wash cloth, soaking it in cold water before she offered it to him. He laughed quietly and took it, dabbing at his lip. It looked like he might have bitten it or something. 

“It’s alright, I think I’ll live,” he said with another laugh and looked up at her, he paused for a moment and held the cool cloth out to her in return. “Your forehead alright?” He asked. 

She nodded as she rubbed at it one more time and moved to lean against the table next to him. “Yeah, wouldn’t be the first bump to the head I’ve gotten.” She grinned over at him and before she realized what was happening he was pulling her closer and their lips were connecting and she was falling into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she easily fell into the kiss. She could taste the wine mixed with the faint taste of blood on him as she deepened the kiss, wanting to taste more. 

Sarah lost any sense of the world around her, her hands sliding over his shoulders. She pressed closer to him, as his hands rested on her waist. He was sweet and gentle and she practically feel the blush on his cheeks.

When the kiss ended she pulled away, equally flushed as she licked her lips lightly. 

“Umm... Thank you, for helping me earlier today...” she said softly, keeping her eyes closed for a moment longer as she soaked in the feeling. He was sweet, kind... something about kissing him felt... different. 

“I’m... really glad I did.” He said finally, tilting his head to look up at her before one of his hands left her waist to rest on the back of her neck and pull her in for another kiss, she felt his fingers curl into her hair and she lost herself again in the kiss. It wasn’t the same as kissing Shane. Why her mind went to that she didn’t know but it made her pull back and apologize as she shifted on his lap awkwardly. 

“I... um... I have to get up early, farm chores.” She explained, moving to scramble out of his lap and smooth her hands over her t-shirt. 

“I can drive you back into town if you want?” She offered, seeing the look of confusion on his face. It seemed to pass though as he got up and shook his head a bit. “I can walk, thank you for dinner though. It was wonderful.” He glanced away from her then as he fixed his own shirt and pushed his fingers through his short hair. 

“You’re welcome, any time. I really like cooking and it gives me the chance to show off the stuff I’ve been growing here.” She added with a bit a smile. Had she just made this awkward? Oh dear lord she had, she didn’t know what to do though and making out with him... it wasn’t like it felt wrong... it just... she wasn’t sure. Maybe he was the perfect guy for her, he had a stable job, was seemingly successful at it and seemed to be a loved member of the community. Did she really want to be thinking about dating though or was she just that horny she was ready to jump anyone at this point?

The goodbyes were even more awkward as he took his leave and she watched him go from the porch for a moment before she slunk back inside and retreated to her bedroom, dishes be damned. Sarah was going to hide under her sheets in shame for the rest of the night.


	7. First Kiss, last mistake?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah takes her new truck for a drive into town and has a bit of a chat with Caroline about her dinner date with Harvey. Someone else over hears it though and leaves her wondering exactly what it is she feels about Shane, if anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit heated in this chapter.

The truck did need a lot of love, but it ran and it was kind of cute if Sarah was being honest. It was one of those small pick up trucks that could pass for a small sedan if it didn’t have the bed on the back. When she had finished all of her morning chores around the farm she spent some time cleaning out the truck. She even managed to load the back up with a crate or two of fruits and vegetables she hadn’t been able to bring into town the day before. 

The drive into town was short, but she appreciated not having to walk it with a wheelbarrow. She parked behind the general and hopped out of the truck, unloading the crates at the back door of Pierre’s place. 

“Hey Sarah!” Caroline called out to her from the back garden, brushing dirt off her hands as she approached to help her unload the crates.

“Hey Caroline, I really want to thank you and your husband for the truck. It’s a huge help.” She said, staking the last box by the door. 

“No no, I really should thank you for taking it off our hands. Pierre tends to hold onto things that just end up taking up space. I’m just glad that it’s going to good use.” Caroline held the door open for her and the two headed inside, passing through their little kitchen and making their way through the public spaces. 

“So I heard you had Harvey over last night,” Caroline winked as they reached the general shop’s back door and shuffled inside. 

Sarah felt her cheeks heat as she headed for the counter. “Oh… um… well it was just dinner. He kind of helped me clean up a mess yesterday morning so I figured I could thank him with food.” She tried to cover quickly, pausing to grab a bottle of pain killers from the pharmacy shelf along with a box of bandaids. 

“Just dinner huh?” Caroline edged as she rang her up and took the total off what they owed her for the produce. She opened the register and counted out the bills, handing them over to her. 

“Yeah… well I mean… no nothing else happened. He’s a nice guy though, what’s his story?” Sarah asked abruptly as she shoved the money into her wallet and tried to get her purchases into the pockets of her sweater. 

“You know I don’t really know. He took over the clinic… five years ago? He was fresh out medical school then. He mostly keeps to himself, he’s kind of the shy type.” She explained and leaned on the counter. 

“I see,” Sarah muttered and as she sighed softly.

The sudden sound of the front door slamming closed made both of them jump, Sarah glanced towards the source of the sound and saw the retreating back a dark blue hoody. She frowned as she puzzled through that, Shane? She couldn’t really be to sure though. Perhaps it was someone else, besides what did it matter if it was Shane? Sure they had had a few close moments together and maybe she had laid up at night thinking about those moments. Not that she could really remember the kiss, when she thought hard enough about it, she could almost imagine she felt it, but that was probably entirely in her head.

”That family… they’ve had a rough go of the last couple of years,” Caroline spoke up behind her, jolting Sarah from her thoughts. 

“I heard, Shane told me about it.” Sarah replied softly. 

“Shane did?” Caroline asked, looking surprised at that. 

“Yeah… we talked about it a bit, something about his brother and sister in law being mugged and killed in the city.” Sarah realized she was sharing information Caroline hadn’t heard before and she suddenly questioned whether it was her place to share it or not. The other woman seemed to read that expression shift and she stood straight and reached out to lightly place her hand on Sarah’s. “Don’t worry I won’t mention it to anyone else.” She said softly. 

“Shane doesn’t exactly open up to people like that. He’s kinda known for being the… grumpy town drunk. Even Marnie leaves him alone mostly and that poor girl Jaz… I think she misses the way he used to be.” She shrugged a bit with that. 

“I… he doesn’t seem that bad,” Sarah defended a bit but even as she said it she realized that she was defending someone she hardly knew. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt protective, had he heard their conversation? Probably, why would he care what she did though or who… Even if she hadn’t done anything of the sort. 

“I doubt he is, but like I said, he doesn’t let anyone close.” Caroline said and moved her hand away from Sarah’s. 

“I see,” Sarah said as she nodded, “well it’s not like he told me a whole lot.” She shrugged it off. 

“I should head off though, I was actually planning on going up to the mountain today. Robin mentioned she lives by the base of it and I haven’t been out that way yet, thought with the truck now I could make the trip a bit easier.” She explained, shaking off the conversation and thoughts about Shane. 

Caroline bid her farewell and reassured her once again that she wasn’t going to share anything she had told her about Shane. 

The drive out to Robin’s place was pretty short and quite lovely. Sarah made it there before noon, parking outside of Robin’s place next the woman’s truck. So she was home, it couldn’t hurt to pop inside and say hi. She had been meaning to ask for some help fixing up the barn. She wanted to set it up as a brewery and currently… well it looked like her grandfather had been using most of it for animals and only the back corner for his cider hobby. She wanted to take it further than he had. 

Sarah ended up spending the rest of the day going over plans with Robin for how to fix up the barn and figure out what they needed to do to make it useable. It was growing dark by the time they both realized it was nearly dinner time and Sarah made an excuse to get out of an invite to dinner with Robin’s family. She got back to Haven farm just in time to see someone pacing on her porch. She front as she parked the truck and jumped out. 

“Shane?” She called out as she approached him, fusing with her keys till she found the right one. Shane stopped in front of her as she came up the steps, he looked like he’d been mulling over something. Like something had been weighing on him all day and he had just now made a decision. He didn’t say anything though, instead he moved towards her, one of his hands moving to the back of her neck and pulling her close. 

Sarah didn’t think about it as she stepped into him and their lips connected, he tasted faintly like pepper and spice. He was hot, his touch almost burned but it didn’t hurt, it threatened to pull her in even deeper and she didn’t think she wanted to fight it. 

Distantly she heard her keys dropping and felt an arm wrapping around her waist, her own hands slid into his hair. She loved tangling her fingers in his hair, the feeling of the long strands and occasionally her fingers would brush against the shorter shaved hair. Shane pressed against her, the arm around her waist pulled her tight and she could feel exactly how much the kiss was affecting him in return. 

When they broke apart they were equally breathless and she licked her lips faintly. “Uh… Hi.” She said finally as she looked up at him, his green eyes staring back her, puzzled. She frowned slightly at that look but his hold on her wasn’t easing at all. 

“I had to see if… what that would feel like if neither of us was drunk.” Shane said, still watching her carefully, letting that sink in. 

“Inside… let’s go inside.” She said as she let go of him, waiting for his grip to ease before she picked up her dropped keys and unlocked the door. 

The two of them barely made it inside the door before he was kissing her again, nipping at her lip lightly as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Shane kicked the door closed behind himself and god she couldn’t believe this was happening, but she didn’t want it to stop. She wanted so much more than kisses and soft fleeting touches. Her hands were pushing at the hem of his hoodie, sliding underneath his t-shirt, fingers pressing against warm skin. She felt finely toned muscles as she slid her hands further up, they were moving than, their lips parting as he shifted his kisses along her jaw, her head tilting back as his administrations moved to her neck.

She had to pull her hands free from his chest so she could fumble the bedroom door open behind him, they nearly tumbled backwards through it. Somewhere in the few steps from her door to the bed they had spun because she felt the backs of her legs hitting the edge of her mattress. They were falling then and before she knew it his layers were off followed by her t-shirt. Calloused hands were running along her sides as he straddled her waist, looking down at her as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world. Her own hands slid along his chest, marvelling at the feeling of his skin under her own calloused fingers and how much muscle he had hidden away under the loose sweatshirt he seemed so fond of wearing all the time. 

Shane leaned down to kiss her again, softly this time, slowly. His hands moved up her sides, skimming over her bra before moving to her arms, her forced them back to the bed and found her wrists. Soon his hands had hers pinned above her head as he deepened the kiss, it was hot and slow and god she felt more passion in it than she had in the hurried kisses on the porch. She fell into it, into him and the way he felt pressed down against her, skin against skin as they shared their warmth with each other. 

When Shane pulled away, his breath hot against her neck as his forehead rested against her shoulder. His hands released her wrists and she relaxed under him. 

“What are we doing?” Sarah asked finally, closing her eyes as she felt his weight resting on her.


End file.
